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| BASIC
CHARACTERISTICS |
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| Role |
Strike
aircraft |
| Crew |
One |
| First
Flight |
June
18, 1981 |
| Entered
Service |
1982 |
| Manufacturer |
Lockheed
Martin |
| Unit
Cost |
$45
Million |
| Inventory |
55
(active) |
| Speed |
High
sub-sonic |
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| DIMENSIONS |
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| Length |
65
feet 11 in. |
| Wingspan |
43
feet 4 in. |
| Height |
12
feet 5 in. |
| Wing
area |
780
feet |
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| FUN
FACT |
The F-117A Nighthawk's primary role is
ground attack, but it is designated as
fighter (F). Although the Air Force
has never officially come clean on why the
long-range bomber's designation begins with
an "F" (fighter), several F-117
Web sites provide some very believable
reasons for the F designation:
1. The designation was simply a continuation
of the F-111 Aardvark, which was also used
as a long-range bomber.
2. To keep the aircraft's primary role a
secret, the "F" designation was
used during testing. The designation
was simply continued following the
aircraft's unveiling in 1980.
3. The fighter designation was decided based
on the aircraft's range and payload, which
make it a 'theatre' (tactical) strike
aircraft rather than a long-range strategic
bomber.
4. Some people claim the F (fighter)
designation was used because Defense
Department officials believed it would be
easier to gain funding for a fighter
aircraft than it would for a bomber.
5. Apparently, a senior member of the
F-117 development team once explained that
the F (fighter) designation was sued to
attract top fighter pilots into the F-117
program. Officials felt fighter pilots
would be reluctant to fly anything but a
fighter aircraft.
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In Saudi
Arabia, the name used for the F-117A was Shabah, the
Arabic word for "spectre" or
"ghost." Other nicknames for the Nighthawk
include Woblin' Goblin, Cockroach, Black Widow,
Cubists' Nightmare, Iraqi Revenue Service, The Ugly
One, Skunkjet, The Guaranteed Promotion, and The
Invisible Aim Point.
Mission
The F-117A Nighthawk is the world's first operational aircraft designed to exploit low-observable stealth technology. This precision-strike aircraft penetrates high-threat airspace and uses laser-guided weapons against critical targets.
Features
The unique design of the single-seat F-117A provides exceptional combat capabilities. About the size of an F-15 Eagle, the twin-engine aircraft is powered by two General Electric F404 turbofan engines and has quadruple redundant fly-by-wire flight controls. Air refuelable, it supports worldwide commitments and adds to the deterrent strength of U.S. military forces.
The F-117A can employ a variety of weapons and is equipped with sophisticated navigation and attack systems integrated into a digital avionics suite that increases mission effectiveness and reduces pilot workload. Detailed planning for missions into highly defended target areas is accomplished by an automated mission planning system developed, specifically, to take advantage of the unique capabilities of the F-117A.
Background
The F-117A production decision was made in 1978 with a contract awarded to Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, the "Skunk Works," in Burbank, Calif. The first flight over the Nevada test ranges was on June 18, 1981, only 31 months after the full-scale development decision.
Streamlined management by Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, combined breakthrough stealth technology with concurrent development and production to rapidly field the aircraft.
The first F-117A was delivered in 1982, and the last delivery was in the summer of 1990. Air Combat Command's only F-117A unit, the 4450th Tactical Group, (now the 49th Fighter Wing, Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.), achieved operational capability in October 1983.
During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, F-117A's flew approximately 1,300 sorties and scored direct hits on 1,600 high-value targets in Iraq. It was the only U.S. or coalition aircraft to strike targets in downtown Baghdad. Since moving to Holloman AFB in 1992, the F-117A and the men and women of the 49th Fighter Wing have deployed to Southwest Asia more than once. On their first trip, the F-117s flew non-stop from Holloman to Kuwait, a flight of approximately 18.5 hours -- a record for single-seat fighters that stands today.
In 1999, 24 F-117A's deployed to Aviano Air Base, Italy, and Spangdahlem AB, Germany, to support NATO's Operation Allied Force. The aircraft led the first Allied air strike against Yugoslavia on March 24, 1999.
The F-117A program demonstrates that stealth aircraft can be designed for reliability and maintainability. It created a revolution in military warfare by incorporating low-observable technology into operational aircraft. The aircraft receives support through a Lockheed-Martin contract known as Total System Performance Responsibility.
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